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Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Speak out: Excess pork
By Jose Lucero Bonpua Jr.
Oslob, Cebu
There’s a Latin adage that states: Moneta est justum medium et mensura rerum commutabilium, nam per medium monetae fit omnium rerum conveniens, et justa aestimatio. (Money is the just medium and measure of commutable things, for by the medium of money a convenient and just estimation of all things is made).
So, President Arroyo presents to Congress over a trillion-peso budget that included over P6 billion in pork barrel funds called the Priority Development Assistance Fund. These are the much-hated funds spent during election by our legislators.
Right after the most recent national elections, many people, including church leaders, declared that the pork barrel funding is a “source of evil” and therefore, of corruption. I wonder what had happened to those widely publicized popular demonstrations against it.
In her Sona, the President pushed for a change in the constitution and the form of government. But no matter the form of government, if the “evils” of corruption still exist and are hidden in the guise of “development assistance funds,” no government can prosper.
And even if there were a new constitution, it wouldn’t wipe out the evils of corruption built in the system.
And PGMA says, the problem is the government? How could it be when her office is pushing for the perpetuation of the pork barrel fund allocation?
There’s another Latin dictum that states: Dolus et fraus nemini patrocinentur. (Deceit and fraud shall excuse or benefit no man!)
(November 2, 2005 issue)
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